Summary

Tempo decks that look to simply cast more spells than the opponent are a major feature of Legacy. These are generally Delver of Secrets-focused decks, but the deck we’re featuring today removes the 1 mana creature and looks to go a little bigger, aiming to go over the top of those aggressive decks and compete into the late game with the format’s slower decks.

The centerpiece of this deck is Monastery Mentor. The powerful 3 mana creature gets better and better with every spell you cast. The diminishing presence of sweepers in the format thanks to the decline of Miracles has caused the stock of this card to rise even higher. As another similarly hard-hitting creature, Gurmag Angler offers a single big body for as little as 1 mana. This deck has no issues getting cards into the graveyard, so the Angler is a great option.

Erayo, Soratami Ascendant and Snapcaster Mage round out the creature base. This deck’s suite of cheap or free spells makes Erayo flip very reliably soon after it’s cast. Once flipped, the many decks in the format will struggle to do much of anything, and the enchantment can be thought of as a meaningful source of card advantage for the rest of the game. Snapcaster Mage has made a huge impact on Legacy since printing, and it’s not going anywhere, the ability to rebuy an instant or sorcery for only 2 mana is an incredible deal, and it allows you to get that much more value out of each of your cards.